In decorating hollow containers, it is common to engage the container that has a base, a hollow body and a neck with a finish and an opening and move or rotate the container for decoration such as printing or labeling. Typical apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,311,051, 3,944,058, 4,398,627, 4,848,227 and 5,137,136.
In such apparatus, the base and neck are engaged to permit the decoration of the body of the container. However, where the container has a neck and a finish that is at an angle to the axis of the container such a container must be handled in some other manner.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a chuck for such a container which is readily made; which does not require orientation with respect to the bottle; and which permits the container to be delivered in an unoriented fashion with respect to the chuck; and wherein the chuck can be readily adapted to use in different decorating apparatus.
In accordance with the invention, an apparatus is provided wherein a container is supported for decorating, wherein the container has a neck and a finish with an opening formed at an angle to the axis of the container. The apparatus includes a chuck for engaging the finish that includes a body having an axis of rotation. The body includes an annular axially facing surface having the same axis as the axis of the body. The annular surface is frustoconical and forms an angle with the axis of the body such that the finish is engaged by the surface for holding the end of the container with the neck and finish in position for decoration. The body is mounted for rotation about its axis.